Informal support for older people in post-unification East Germany: stability and change.

German unification led to a substantial out-migration of younger east Germans to the West. This paper discusses possible impacts of this out-migration upon the social support networks of older people in the east German city of Leipzig. Using Wenger's network typology, information was sought about the social support networks of 54 people aged 65+ for 1989 and 1993. The intention was to identify the extent to which support networks were resistant to change and, where changes occurred, whether such changes could directly be attributed to unification. The study's findings indicate only a modest impact of unification upon older people's social support networks in Leipzig. The overwhelming majority of support networks remained the same over the period of analysis, suggesting that informal support for older people is more robust and resistant to social change than might be anticipated.